Westland Hialeah is 0-3 against Booker T. Washington since January of 2022 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Westland Hialeah Wildcats will be staying on the road to face off against the Booker T. Washington Tornadoes on February 8th. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are closely ranked in Florida (Westland Hialeah is ranked 378th, while Booker T. Washington is ranked 370th).
It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Westland Hialeah had no problem doing just that on Tuesday. They breezed by the Trojans on the road to the tune of 51-23. Westland Hialeah has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine matchups by 21 points or more this season.
Westland Hialeah found their leader in underclassman Jahi Lopez, who scored 18 points along with seven rebounds and five steals. Lopez is trending in the right direction, as he's improved his point production for three games straight. Tywon Jenkins was another key contributor, scoring 11 points along with six steals and five rebounds.
Westland Hialeah used a slightly different lineup for their bout with Hialeah-Miami Lakes. And. The pair took full advantage of the opportunity: Jenkins scored 11 points along with six steals and five rebounds, while he scored four points.
Meanwhile, Booker T. Washington waltzed into their game on Tuesday with two straight wins but they left with three. They put the hurt on Miami Springs with a sharp 54-34 victory.
Booker T. Washington got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Leroy Lee Jr out in front who scored 14 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jahmal David, who scored 14 points.
Westland Hialeah is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 16-6 record this season. As for Booker T. Washington, their victory bumped their record up to 11-12.
Thursday's matchup is shaping up to be a scrappy match: Westland Hialeah have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 35.8 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Booker T. Washington, though, as they've been averaging only 12.7 rebounds per game. Given Westland Hialeah's sizable advantage in that area, Booker T. Washington will need to find a way to close that gap.
Westland Hialeah suffered a grim 56-35 defeat to Booker T. Washington in their previous meeting back in December of 2023. Can Westland Hialeah avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
